Chapter 52

Today is a day off, so after butchering the deer and having lunch, we decided to spend the time until dinner doing what we wanted. I decided to make arrowheads. There are extras for Sermia, but Dina might use a bow and arrow in the future as well. Rike said he would practice making knives if I started a fire in the workshop. Sermia and Dina seemed to be practicing archery in the yard (or rather, just in front of the house). They get along well, and their relationship has been good since they went out to gather and hunt together. I think both Dina and Sermia have personalities that don’t care much about who they’re with.

Before dinner, I practiced with Dina for about half an hour. It won’t change much in just 2-3 days, but I hope she can grasp something, even if it’s just a little bit.

For dinner, I made thinly sliced deer meat with a fig and red wine sauce. It was sweet and savory, and the three of them seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

The next day, I’m going to town to deliver goods to Camillo, but I can’t take Dina with me. Who knows what might happen and get exposed. The best option is to leave Dina here and go with Sermia, Rike, and myself. That way, our actions will be no different from usual, and the risk of exposure will be minimized. However, just in case, I think it’s best to leave one more person here.

So, who should stay? I’m out of the question, so it’s either Sermia or Rike. Rike has no combat skills and isn’t familiar with the forest. So, it’s Sermia. If something happens, Sermia can escape into the forest. She could probably survive for a few days in the place that used to be her “nest.” Leaving Sermia here will make the journey less cautious, but I can cover for that. If push comes to shove, I’m strong too.

I explained this to the three of them, and they all agreed.

“Alright, there’s no other way.”

“I’m sorry, for my sake.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not Dina’s fault.”

“That’s right. Dina, please prioritize your own safety.”

“Thank you, everyone.”

Dina was on the verge of tears. Mr. Marius needs to resolve this quickly. Also, since Dina, who should have been with Camillo by now, is here with us and no one else knows, Mr. Marius might be worried.

So, I’ll take the letter from Mr. Marius to Camillo.

“See you later.”

“Take care.”

With Sermia and Dina seeing us off, Rike and I left the house.

“I said it before, but without Sermia, we’ll be less cautious, so let’s be careful.”

“Understood, boss.”

It will probably take about 1.5 times longer than usual. We’ll move slowly through the forest. The good thing is that it doesn’t matter when we go to Camillo, so we’re not in a rush.

We took two breaks on the way and finally reached the edge of the forest. It usually takes about two hours, but today it took a little over three. Before leaving the forest, we checked the surroundings. No one seemed to be watching us. We quickly left the forest. This makes me feel a bit more at ease.

That said, the road isn’t safe either. There are still plenty of dangers, so we need to be cautious. We soon reached the spot where Dina was attacked. A week has passed, so there’s no trace of anything happening. It’s likely that only we know the whereabouts of the pursuers.

“There’s nothing left.”

“Right. There’s no sign of anything happening.”

“At least it’s good that we’re not under suspicion.”

“It would be troublesome if someone said something now.”

“Yeah.”

We continued to the town, and nothing happened, but it took much longer than usual. It looks like we’ll only be able to make a round trip today.

Mr. Marius wasn’t at the town entrance, and it wasn’t even his colleague, so we just nodded and headed straight to Camillo’s shop. If it had been his colleague, we could have subtly inquired, but that’s water under the bridge now.

Once we’re in the town, we’re safe. Even if the pursuers are wandering around, they wouldn’t ask a blacksmith who’s just delivering goods. Rike and I soon arrived at Camillo’s shop.

As usual, we were allowed to put the goods in the warehouse and were called to see Camillo. After the usual business talk, I got to the point.

“Sorry, but I have something to talk to you about.”

“Oh, what is it?”

I glanced at the shop manager. Camillo nodded and looked at the shop manager, who also nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. I took out the letter from my pocket.

“I’m holding this. I’ve gotten the owner’s permission and have read the contents.”

“Hmm?”

Camillo started reading the already opened letter. His brow furrowed quickly. After finishing, he sighed and said,

“So, you’re holding this and came alone today. Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Dina is with us, and we know the situation. You’ve known about this for a while, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right… I didn’t want to involve you.”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

I explained how I happened to be at the scene where Dina was attacked on the way back last time.

“I see. That was a stroke of luck for Marius and the others.”

“Yeah, she came directly to us.”

“Right. I’ll take care of this letter.”

“Thanks. I’m in a bit of a bind and have no connections, so I can’t directly support Mr. Marius. No matter how skilled I am, a simple blacksmith can’t interfere in the affairs of nobles.”

Camillo nodded.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“However, if there’s anything I can do as a blacksmith, I’d like to help. But I only come here once a week, so I’m worried about the delay in communication. I could increase the frequency of my visits, but if that raises suspicion, it would be counterproductive. So, is there a way to communicate daily?”

Camillo listened to me and thought deeply. I spoke to him.

“Hey, you’re already involved. Don’t worry about whether I’m involved or not.”

“…You’re right.”

Camillo then told me a way to communicate.